A Logansport City Council meeting turned into chaos Monday night as residents expressed concerns about the influx of Haitian immigrants. More than 15 residents spoke before the council to exchange opinions and concerns about the issue.
The topic has received a lot of attention over the past month in Logansport as immigration policy heats up ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. Logansport Mayor Chris Martin said at a Public Works and Safety Board meeting last month that he believes the city’s population has increased 30% since 2021.
Martin expanded on that number when asked by resident Jeff Kriegbaum during public comment on Monday. Martin said he got that number from a 20 to 30 percent increase in hospital services, a 30 percent increase in doctor visits, a 30 percent increase in births, and a 30 percent increase in emergency room visits.
“Now, if you take that 20 to 30 percent increase and then look at it and see what that does to reflect other city services, it matches,” Martin said. “That’s why I say a 20 to 30 percent increase is a very accurate percentage.”
While much of this increase comes from Haitians, Martin said the increase cannot be tied to one specific group. He said the issue was recently brought to their attention at the national level, and by the end of November, he wants to have a solid game plan.
After the scheduled work ended Monday, Martin opened the floor for public comment. Logansport resident David Price started the conversation by saying there are a lot of concerns in the community. He asked them to ensure that the law is applied to all citizens and not to grant grace to a specific segment of the population.
“I just want to make sure everyone is treated equally. We’re here in this community, and we want it to be a great community. We don’t want people to be afraid to live here, we want people to come to Logansport to build their businesses,” Price said. For people to leave this society. I’m not moving, and I hope no one is moving. We are strong together and we are a great community, and I am proud to be a part of it.
Former Mayor Dave Ketchel spoke next. He said that in the 1990s under a Republican mayor, there was tension when they had an influx of people coming. He said they took a different approach, working with local leaders in the community such as hospitals and law enforcement to do what they could to make it happen. Transitional work.
“…The fact of the matter is, the buck stops here. It doesn’t stop with the federal government, and you can’t pass it to the federal government or the state government, it’s us. We have to deal with it. Democrats and Republicans, on the East Side, on the West Side,” Ketchel said. “And the South Side, we have to deal with that problem.” “And there has to be something created on an ad hoc basis to at least deal with that.” We’re putting a lot of effort into legal citizenship through The Bridge and all that, but you have to say “the buck stops here” with this group, with this problem, now. “
For many of those coming here, they are not here because it was their first choice, but rather their only hope and it is a place where they can feel safe, Ketchel said. He said Logansport is a great community to live in and it could be better, but they’re not there now and they won’t be there unless things change, starting at the top with the mayor’s resignation.
He also asked the council to appoint a non-partisan city manager to work with the council and public service agencies.
“We have a lot of problems. We have streets that are torn up, yeah, that’s a big problem and it’s been a big problem for a long time. The park facilities need to be finished, and at least you’re trying to get that done when you can,” Kitchell said. “We don’t know what the economy will bring, but we We know that, at the end of the day, we have to make Logansport a better city tomorrow than it is today, and unless we stand up now and take action, it will win.” “Not happening.”
Martin asked what exactly Kitchel expected them to do, and Kitchel said that if he resigned and they got a city manager, they would solve the problem quickly, but he avoided specifics.
Martin said stepping down will not happen.
“… They might as well ignore that idea,” Martin said.
“Well, you’re going to have a lot of meetings like this one where a lot of people will stand up and applaud when they say you should resign, because you should,” Ketchel replied.
Martin said they are collecting data from hospitals and schools and meeting with county and state officials to address the problem, and Kitchel said they are supposed to be transparent with people.
Several others spoke before the board throughout the meeting, raising concerns about the altercations at Walmart, public safety, the exact number of people brought in and Tyson’s role in the case.
Resident Jeff Allen was concerned that the police department also was not growing to accommodate the influx.
“…The flooding of small, small communities overwhelms everything, and you can’t even find a place in the housing market,” Allen said. “The rents are high, the rents are high, the social systems are overwhelmed, the schools are overwhelmed, and the police department is overwhelmed.”
Some residents raised their voices, saying that the council was acting as if they did not know about the problems. City Council President Dave Morris said they are trying to meet with different city entities and reaching out beyond Logansport to figure out how to best handle things, but he said the council wants to hear exactly what the community expects them to do and what they really know.
“…I’m sorry, but I was hoping things would go much better on both sides of the table here, this side and that side. As a city council, you guys act like we’re sitting here waiting for a problem to happen,” Morris said. “We handle the day-to-day operations here and do our best to do what we can to make this community better.”
Martin said they are working with the governor’s office right now to develop a solid plan for communicating with the federal government. However, he said they should know what they are asking for.
“We meet with people in our community and try to figure out exactly what we need,” Martin said. “Is it law enforcement? Is it?” [the] Police department? Is it the Cass County Health Department? Is it the hospital? We need to know what we are ordering before you order it. Because if you don’t, you’ll look like a foolish fool, trying to ask for money for something you don’t even know what you have a problem with.
From the meeting, concerns brought up by Martin were looking at the translation services they offer and the number of translators they have, issues with the BMV and looking at how many people are at home. He said they will also continue what they are doing by contacting the Cass County Health Department and making sure they communicate with the Indiana Department of Health as well.
He also asked the community to email him at mayorsoffice@cityoflogansport.org with exactly where they would like to see an increase in police presence. Going forward, Martin said he plans to send a weekly update every Friday to the media about their immigration status.
“…I really appreciate it [all of you] “I know there’s fear and I know there’s anxiety, but I want you to understand that I’m doing my best to work on this and I’ll continue to do so because that’s the oath that I took,” Martin said. .
